Posted on 01/29/2006 6:28:19 AM PST by billorites
LET'S SEE. Google fights U.S. government attempts to search its files for evidence of child pornography. But Google meekly complies with Communist China's government demands that it censor materials about democracy and human rights.
What is wrong with this picture?
Some so-called civil libertarians in this country have fought many attempts to deal with the sickening, life-destroying crimes of child pornography and sexual abuse. They howl bloody murder when the public asks for even simple screening tools on Internet computers at public libraries.
Yet the Chinese Communists will be doing a lot more than screening for pornography. They have gotten the Google company to hack its own system so that the search engine will come back with few results when people there type in truly nasty words such as "freedom."
"Don't be evil" and "the need for information crosses all borders" are two of Google's basic 10 mission points. They have apparently been replaced by "show me the money."
Google is not alone. Yahoo and Microsoft have accepted similar demands from the Chinese. Many American and multi-national companies have done likewise. A few years ago, Rupert Murdoch of "fair and balanced" Fox News fame agreed to kick the BBC off his satellite TV programming in order to gain access to the China market.
One reason, supposedly, of trading freely with China was to open it up to Western democratic ideals and standards. Instead, the Chinese government seems to be taking what it needs in terms of commercial advancement but demanding — and getting — the "ideals" part be left behind.
What's most shameful about this is that the folks at Google.com really don't understand what the fuss is about.
That is not correct, from what I understand. The government seeks to gather statistical information regarding searches for porn.
But Google meekly complies with Communist China's government demands that it censor materials about democracy and human rights.
Well, China is a totalitarian state. We are not. Google did not have the option of challening the Chinese government in its own courts if it wanted to do business in China. It has that option here. And that is a good thing.
I really get surprised at the number of conservatives who are cheerleading for government demanding information from an unwilling party when there is no probable cause that wronding is happening.
It's because the folks that run Google are leftists. They sympathize with communism and child porn.
I was appalled by the deal they cut with repressive Communist China. We should all be using every bit of leverage at our disposal to force China to become open, civilized, and democratic, and none of us should ever do anything that helps that totalitarian regime to stay in power.
Anyhow, just correcting the inaccuracy.
PS. But I do not mean to take away from the rightful criticism of Google's collaboration with Chinese tyranny. I just wanted to accurately describe the issue with Google and the DOJ.
Chinese Constitution
Article 18.
The People's Republic of China permits foreign enterprises, other foreign economic organizations and individual foreigners to invest in China and to enter into various forms of economic co-operation with Chinese enterprises and other economic organizations in accordance with the law of the People's Republic of China. All foreign enterprises and other foreign economic organizations in China, as well as joint ventures with Chinese and foreign investment located in China, shall abide by the law of the People's Republic of China. Their lawful rights and interests are protected by the law of the People's Republic of China.
My understanding is that the government needs STATISTICS or numbers of pornography sites that are accessed (NOT the people accessing them) in order to prove the actual extent of the internet pornography problem in a court of law. Someone with more legal expertise can comment, but I heard a lawyer explaining this on the radio, and he specifically said it was NOT identifying anyone....but asking Google to give the statistics on how often these child porno sites are accessed.
The whole idealistic mission points are reminicent of how Real Networks started. It was called "Progressive Networks" and the plan was to make money and donate their profits to leftist causes. Of course, this Ben and Jerry's approach to the dot-com era didn't work in the light of the Microsoft juggernaut with respect to streaming media.
Google gives employees a credit for buying a Toyota Prius hybrid (I don't know if the credit applies to the eeevil SUV hybrids built by Lexus and Ford). But at the same time Google thinks it is progressive in encouraging its employees to drive a Prius, Google's founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, bought a corporate jet for themselves. But not any jet. No, not a Gulfstream V or similar "heavy metal". They bought a Boeing. No, not a Boing 737 business jet, but a Boeing 767-200. Burning about 1,500 gallons per hour of fuel (about 0.4 miles to the gallon), that seems in direct contradition to encouraging driving hybrids. Although I might note, if the plane is carry all 50 people it is being outfitted to carry, each passenger is making 20 miles per gallon. But even a Hummmer H2's per passenger mileage when carying 4 passengers will double that.
Politics is Politics, and Business is Business. Google is just starting to figure this out. And during the transition period, Google will rightly be called hypocritical, whether because of giant personal airplanes or failing to define just what "evil" is in their "Don't be evil" pledge. Larry and Sergey need to grow up and learn to deal with this. Right now in interviews they look like precocious 14 years olds instead of 32-year old grown men.
In light of the China deal, Google even had to change one of its FAQs:
We, as conservatives, need to stop wronding whenever it starts.
It's simple: There's no room under Chinese law for them to refuse the dictatorial government's request, while in this country there's a legal process they can use to try to avoid releasing information.
Another one who didn't get it. This is NOT a child porn investigation, only fishing for data to back up a law designed to keep kids from seeing regular porn. The request isn't even narrowed, such as asking Google for all searches of "Ariel naked" -- they want EVERYTHING that has been searched, including "Bush sucks."
It's all about the money. Amen.
Even my Liberal niece who graduated from CalPoly and is working over in Ireland for Google says she is seeing that they are much more Liberal than she likes.
We had a long conversation when I saw her at Christmas time and I see her views swinging a bit more to the right.
Of course I've been working on her for about three years.
Keep up the good work. She'll flip soon. ;o)
I guess she had to get in the mist of radical liberals to see how bad they really are.
She kept saying "And you were right Auntie".
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